Pivoting reversible latch bolt



ATTOQNEYS April 25, 1967 F. J. RUSSELL ETAL PIVOTING REVERSIBLE LATCH BOLT Filed April 25, 1965 United States Patent Olice 3,316,003 PIVOTING REVERSIBLE LATCH BOLT Fred J. Russell, 8635 Otis St., South Gate, Calif. 90280, and Roger J. Noln, Monterey Park, Calif.; said Nolin assignor to said Russell Filed Apr. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 450,461 2 Claims. (Cl. 292-244) The invention relates to latch bolts for door locks, the door locks under consideration being those installed on doors which may, on some occasions, be -mounted to swing in one direction and which may, on other occasions, be mounted to swing in the other direction.

In providing a lock for a door, the swing of the door must always be taken into consideration. On some occasions, the door will need to be so mounted as to swing into a room, whereas, on other occasions, the same door may preferably be mounted so as to swing outwardly relative to the room. On some occasions, the door may need to be hung on hinges on one vertical edge ofthe door frame. On other occasions, the door may need to be hung on hinges on the other vertical edge ofthe door.

In the past, a great variety of expedients have been resorted to, so as to accommodate the swinging hand of a door. In some instances, this need has been met by having the entire latch case adapted to be mounted in an opposite direction. On other occasions, door locks have been so constructed that they can be taken apart and the latch bolt reversed so as to swing in an opposite direction when striking a strike plate. On those occasions, where the case has -to be opened to gain access to the working parts, the case, of course, must be removed from the door. All of these operations take considerable time and, in some instances, appreciable skill.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved door lock construction, wherein the door lock can have its latch bolt reversed by a simple means, so `as to make it possible to reverse the swing of the `door without need for removing the lock or any part of it from its Xed position on the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved lock construction which makes it possible to reverse the swing of the latch bolt, without in any way opening the latch case.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved door lock construction, wherein the latch bolt can be easily reversed in its position of swing without removing even the latch bolt from the latch case, there being provided adequate anchoring means `capable of securely holding the latch bolt in the desired position of swing and at the same time providing a linished, protecting plate liush with the free edge of the door.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to provide a simple, rugged, reversible pivoting latch bolt which is positive in its action, irrespective of which direction it may be mounted; and wherein, because of the simple relationship of the pivoting and moving parts of the device, a construction can be provided which is durable, positive, and secure.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side perspective View of a fragment of door, showing the lock construction mounted in posi- '3,316,003 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 tion for a door which swings inwardly vtoward the opera- Itor as viewed in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the fragment of a door and the latch case, partially broken away to show the latch bolt in position.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the latch case, partially broken away, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary View similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the latch bolt mounted for swinging in an opposite direction.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary end elevational view.

In an embodiment chosen for the purpose of illustration, there is shown a fragment of a conventional door 10 having an inside face 11, an outside face 12, and a free end edge or face 13. A lock assembly indicated generally by the reference character 14 consists of a case y15 having an inside wall 16, an outside wall 17, a top wall 18, and an end wall 19, forming a chamber 20. A-t both top and bottom, the end wall 19 is secured on door 10 `by screws (not shown). The lock assembly 14 is provided with a substantially conventional knob 21 and a key-actuated mechanism 22. Also included in the lock assembly 14 is a dead bolt 23, an auxiliary bolt 24, and a latch bolt 25. A lock construction especially well adapted to the invention here under consideration is shown and described in co-pending applications Serial No. 450,462, led April 23, 1965; Serial No. 450,450, led April 23, 1965, now Patent No. 3,298,729; Serial No. 450,447, filed April 23, 1965,' Serial No. 450,472, filed April 23, 1965; Serial No. 450,460, filed April 23, 1965; Serial No. 450,446, led April 23, 1965.

Extending over the end wall 19 is a cover plate 26, the cover plate 2'6 being secured in position on the end wall 19 by screws 27. The cover plate 26 is provided with an opening 28 for the dead bolt 23, an opening 29 for the auxiliary `bolt 24, and an opening 30 for the latch bolt 25. The end wall 19 is provided with a relatively large opening 31 of size suicient to span both of the openings 28 and 30.

On one side of the large opening 31 is a pair of outwardly open bearing pockets 32 and `33. These pockets 32 and 33 are spaced from each other to provide a space therebetween slightly greater than the distance between upper and lower sides of the opening 30. On the opposite side of the end wall 19 is a second pair of outwardly open bearing pockets 34 and 35, likewise forming a space therebetween slightly greater than the distan-ce between the upper and lower sides of the opening 30.

The latch bolt 25 may more aptly be `identified as a latch bolt means comprising a head 25 forming part of the latch bolt means which includes also a shaft 36 having an outer end 37 pivotally attached to a rear face 38 of the head 25 by means of a pivot pin 39. The head 25' has a strike face 40 and a bearing end 411 which adjoins an adjacent end of the rear face 38. An arcuate face 42 of the head 25 extends between. the strike face 40` and the rear face 38.

At the bearing end 41 is a pair of bearing pins 46 and 47, the bearing pins 46 and 47 being in axial align ment and extending outwardly from respective side faces 43 and 49 of the head 25.

For the position of the strike face 40, as shown in FIGURES 1, 2, 3, and 5, the bearing pins 4,6 `and 47 are received respectively in the bearing pockets 34 and 35. The pins 46 and 47 are held in the bearing pockets 34 and 35 by the cover plate 26. The head 2-5 pivots or swings about the bearing pins 46 and 47 as it is moved inwardly vinto the chamber 20 by the .strike face 40, striking against a conventional strike plate (not shown) 3 or outwardly to the extent limited by the shaft 36. During this swinging movement, the shaft 36 reciprocates in .and out, and the end of the arcuate face 42 adjoining the rear face 3S swings through a cutout 50 in the inside wall 16, where such a cutaway portion may be needed to accommodate a latch bolt head 25 of given size.

When the need arises to reverse the swing of the head 25', the cover plate 26 is removed by removal of the screws 27 to give access to the head 25. The head 25 can then be pulled outwardly a distance sufficient to disengage the bearing pins 46 and 47 from the respecltive pockets 34 and 35. The head 25 can then be rotated 180, together with its shaft 36 (because the opposite end (not shown) of shaft 36 is free to rotate at all times), until the pins 46 and 47 are adapted lto be accommodated respectively in the bearing pockets 33 and 32. The direction of the strike face 40 is 4reversed by this adjustment, as shown in FIGURE 4. The bearing pins 46 and 47 are then again retained, this time in the bearing pockets 33 and 32, by application of the cover plate 26 to its former position.

From the foregoing disclosure of structure and relationship of parts, it will be apparent that the direction of the swing of the head 25 can be reversed to accommoda'te a door like the door 10, swinging in either direction without it being necessary to remove the case from the door 110 and obviously without any need for gaining access to the interior of the case 15. The only element needing disassembly is temporary removal of the cover plate 26, which is accomplished without disturbing the mounting of the case 15 in any way.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims, so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. In a door lock comprising a case and an end wall for the case having an opening therein, the combination of a latch bolt means including a head and a shaft having a pivotal attachment to said head, said latch bolt means having a rotatable and endwise reciprocating movement in said oase, a strike face on a side of the head opposite said pivotal attachment and having a bearing portion at one end of the strike face, a pair of 1ongitudinally spaced outwardly opening bearing pockets on each side of said end wall adjacent said opening and providing a space between each said pair of pockets, a pair of laterally extending bearing pins on opposite sides of said head at said bearing portion, said bearing pins having retained positions in one of said pairs of bearing pockets when said strike face is facing in one direction and having retained positions in the other of said pairs of pockets when said strike plate is facing in an opposite direction, whereby said latch bolt can be located in position on the case to accommodate a door swinging in either direction, overlying said end wall, said bearing pockets and said bearing pins, and fastening means accessible from the exterior for removably holding said front cover plate in place.

2. In .a door lock comprising a case and an end wall having an opening therein, the combination of a latch bolt means including a head and a shaft having a pivotal attachment to said head, said latch bolt means having an endwise reciprocating movement in said case, said -shaf-t and said head being rotatable in said case without removal of said shaft from the case, said head having a strike face on the side thereof opposite said pivotal attachment and having a bearing portion at one end of the strike face, a pair of longitudinally spaced outwardly opening bearing pockets on each side of said end wall adjacent said opening and providing a space be-tween each said pair of pockets, a pair of laterally extending bearing pins on opposite sides of said head at said bearing portion, said bearing pins having retained positions in one of said pairs of bearing pockets when said strike face is facing in one direction and having retained positions in the other of said pairs of pockets when said strike plate is facing in an opposite direction, whereby said latch bolt can be located in position on the case to accommodate a door swinging in either direction without removal of the latch bolt means from the case or removal of the case from the door and an exterior front cover plate including screw means .accessible from the exterior removably attaching said cover plate to the end wall in position over said end Wall and lin retaining position with respect to said bearing pins to secure said pins in operative position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 218,455 8/1879 Russell 292--244 X 242,247 5 1881 -Bailey 292-244 X 866,893 9/ 1907 Seyffarth 292--192 X 1,126,180 1/ 1915 Cleaver 292--244 X 2,097,232 10/1937 Hartman 292-192 X FOREIGN PATENTS 438 10/ 1899 Austria.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Examiner. 

1. IN A DOOR LOCK COMPRISING A CASE AND AN END WALL FOR THE CASE HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN, THE COMBINATION OF A LATCH BOLT MEANS INCLUDING A HEAD AND A SHAFT HAVING A PIVOTAL ATTACHMENT TO SAID HEAD, SAID LATCH BOLT MEANS HAVING A ROTATABLE AND ENDWISE RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT IN SAID CASE, A STRIKE FACE ON A SIDE OF THE HEAD OPPOSITE SAID PIVOTAL ATTACHMENT AND HAVING A BEARING PORTION AT ONE END OF THE STRIKE FACE, A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED OUTWARDLY OPENING BEARING POCKETS ON EACH SIDE OF SAID END WALL ADJACENT SAID OPENING AND PROVIDING A SPACE BETWEEN EACH SAID PAIR OF POCKETS, A PAIR OF LATERALLY EXTENDING BEARING PINS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID HEAD AT SAID BEARING PORTION, SAID BEARING PINS HAVING RETAINED POSITIONS IN ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF BEARING POCKETS WHEN SAID STRIKE FACE IS FACING IN ONE DIRECTION AND HAVING RETAINED POSITIONS IN THE OTHER OF SAID PAIRS OF POCKETS WHEN SAID STRIKE PLATE IS FACING IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, WHEREBY SAID LATCH BOLT CAN BE LOCATED IN POSITION ON THE CASE TO ACCOMMODATE A DOOR SWINGING IN EITHER DIRECTION, OVERLYING SAID END WALL, SAID BEARING POCKETS AND SAID BEARING PINS, AND FASTENING MEANS ACCESSIBLE FROM THE EXTERIOR FOR REMOVABLY HOLDING SAID FRONT COVER PLATE IN PLACE. 